Drone laws: What are the rules of owning, flying and shooting down drones in the UK?
People caught flying drones at Gatwick airport could face up to five years in prison
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Your support makes all the difference.Drones have been causing chaos at London's Gatwick airport, with thousands of passengers left stranded after flights were suspended when drones were spotted flying near the airfield.
It isn't the first time drones have been reported at Gatwick airport. In July, a drone passing over the right wing of an Airbus A319 "put 130 lives at risk", according to the pilot, while the British Airline Pilots Association recorded 117 near misses between aircraft and drones throughout the UK between January and November this year.
Knowingly or not, the operators of these drones were in violation of rule number one of the Civil Aviation Authority's Drone Code: "Don't fly near airports or airfields."
So what are the rules for owning and operating drones in the UK?
Do you need a license to fly a drone?
Anyone flying a consumer drone for recreational purposes in the UK does not actually need a license, as long as the drone is under 20kg in weight and the operator obeys the aviation laws.
The UK government has posted advice on its website for drone owners and operators, warning that quadcopters and other flying machines are subject to the law through the Air Navigation Order.
"If you are using a drone for personnel use then you are governed by the Civilian Aviation Authority (CAA) Air Navigation Order 2016, specifically Article 241 (endangering the safety of any person or property), Article 94 (small unmanned aircraft) and Article 95 (small unmanned surveillance aircraft)," the guidance states.
Only people using a drone commercially require a license to fly them, which can be obtained by registering with the CAA through the organisation's website.
Where you can and cannot fly drones
There are a few fundamental rules that all drone operators are required to follow in the UK, such as keeping your drone in sight at all times, and never flying it above 400ft.
It is also forbidden to fly a drone over a congested area or within 150ft of a person, vehicle or building not under your control. Any images taken with a drone camera are also subject to privacy laws.
Concerning airports, drone operators are forbidden from flying their machines within 1km of airport boundaries.
The CAA came up with a simple summary of the rules to follow when flying drones:
Don't fly near airports or airfields.
Remember to stay below 400ft (120m).
Observe your drone at all times – stay 150ft (50m) away from people and property.
Never fly near aircraft.
Enjoy responsibly.
How do you stop a drone flying illegally?
Gatwick chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe said police decided to not shoot down the drones at the airport with firearms because of "what might happen with stray bullets."
Other methods exist to stop drones, many of which involve nets that tangle with the propellers and force them to crash land.
The NetGun X1, for example, allows law enforcement officers to capture drones from up to 15 metres away.
Dutch police have even trained eagles to pluck drones out of the sky using their powerful talons.
Some drone makers, such as DJI, pre-program their drones with technology designed to prevent them from entering restricted airspace, though some sites on the internet claim to offer advice on how to "unlock" the devices.
Following the latest incident at Gatwick there have been fresh calls from some people on social media to ban drones entirely.
What would happen if a drone collided with a plane?
The aviation industry is still working to fully understand the implications of a drone hitting an aircraft.
"It doesn't take much imagination to understand the likely consequences of 3kg of metal and plastic, including the lithium-polymer battery, hitting a helicopter windshield or, perhaps worse, the tail rotor at 100mph," the advice from the UK government states.
"Likewise for a fixed wing aircraft but at greater speeds, hitting the canopy or disappearing into an engine intake."
For the drone operator, the penalties are severe. Anyone caught flying a drone above 400ft or within an airport's boundary faces an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison.
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